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Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1970. PFM’s unique blend of influences and genre-bending compositions echoed many of the themes of their British counterparts such as Genesis and Gentle Giant, while never sounding derivative. Given their Italian heritage, the difference with PFM was in their sense of drama and bravado, their lush melodies and operatic flourishes, all delivered in a blues and rock framework that incorporated elements of traditional Italian music. On top of their skills at composing and arranging these pieces, every band member was a virtuoso musician, including Franz Di Cioccio (drums, lead vocals), Franco Mussida (guitars, lead vocals), Mauro Pagani (violin, flute), and Flavio Premoli (keyboards, lead vocals). Original bass player Giorgio Piazza left the band just after the release of Photos of Ghosts, and was replaced by another fantastic bassist, Patrick Djivas, who has remained with the group ever since. Of the many amazing things about PFM, their live performances are legendary in prog circles based on the sheer adrenaline and talent of the musicianship on display. At times each player seemed to be outdoing the next while extending jams to such a frenetic pace, one would be reminded of a wayward locomotive train, threatening to, but never actually careening off the tracks.

PFM was founded at the dawn of the 1970s, recording two albums with Italian language lyrics Storia di un minuto and Per un amico in 1971-72 before coming to the attention of Greg Lake who signed the band to ELP’s new label Manticore. Lake arranged for lyricist Peter Sinfield, who had worked with King Crimson, ELP and others to write new lyrics, at which point the band re-recorded some of their existing songs and new pieces with these English lyrics, producing Photos of Ghosts in 1973. It’s a brilliant album, from opener “River of Life,” to closer and continuing live favorite “Promenade the Puzzle.” A combination of well chosen layers of grand piano, organ, Mellotron and Moog synthesizer, classical acoustic and electric guitar, colorful often pastoral flute and violin, all backed by powerful yet nuanced percussion renders this album a masterpiece. One track “Il Banchetto” is unchanged from its original version, presented with Italian lyrics and liner notes that explain the meaning of its beautifully sung passages. On the strength of that track alone, this writer collected the original records; a lead anyone interested in the band should follow. PFM went on to record a third Italian language record L’isola di niente in 1974, directly shipping an English language counterpart The World Became the World the same year.

The band toured the United States for the first time in 1974, opening for several established acts such as Aerosmith and Peter Frampton. They appeared for an amazing six nights July 16-21 at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, a venue that could barely contain the talent on display. PFM recorded their first live album, the aptly titled Cook on this tour, which was released as a severely truncated single LP in order to introduce the band to a wider audience. This live album was more recently released as a highly recommended expanded three CD set containing the entire performance culled from the same shows. The sets were a showcase for the band’s lightening fast delivery of tremendously complex progressive rock music, from the very Italian sounds of “Four Holes in the Ground” to the blues rocker “Alta Loma Nine ‘Til Five” featuring an impressive guitar solo from Mussida. Fans of the band who were privileged to catch any of these shows without exception recall being shocked and amazed at these fantastic concerts, often reporting that the band “stole the show” from the intended headliners.

After this tour, PFM recruited an additional lead singer Bernardo Lanzetti who took most of the lead vocals on PFM’s last two English language releases Chocolate Kings (1975) and the jazz-fusion driven Jet Lag, recorded in Los Angeles and released in 1977. Lanzetti’s powerful voice fronted a more aggressive sound on these albums, each of which contain an extended central piece, “Out of the Roundabout” on Chocolate Kings, and the title track from Jet Lag, the last record to be released on an American label. These are excellent examples of the progressive rock form, featuring more of PFM’s signature allegro jams and frantic, driven performances. In particular, an increased use of fretless bass from Djivas paired with fusionesque Rhodes piano leads from Premoli elevate Jet Lag to the top tier of the band’s many albums. Though members have come and gone since the end of the 70s, PFM has continued to record and release new material every decade since their inception, each work continuing to demonstrate the enduring talent of these fine musicians.

Many fans like this author discovered PFM a bit too late to see any of their shows outside Italy have since been able to see the band in various reformations at progressive rock festivals and short tours. It’s worth noting that while film is scarce, audio recordings are plentiful, from the most important, now expanded official release Cook, to live CDs termed “official bootlegs” which capture a series of tours since PFM’s inception, volumes numbered under the heading PFM – 10 Anni Live. Arguably given the fact that Cook captures the band in its original lineup, the most important of these is Volume 4: 1977-1978, the Jet Lag Tour, which captures a blistering live performance during Lanzetti’s tenure with the band, and includes tracks from Passpartu, which marked the end of his involvement with PFM.

As mentioned, film of PFM is hard to find, and this author has not been able to locate a complete performance by the band during their 1970s heyday on video. However black-and-white film of the band performing songs from their first album on Italian television RAI can be found on Progressive Rock in Italy, and on streaming services, though this is difficult to find on DVD. Fortunately, the best of their television performances, taken from the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test in the mid 70s are available on the recent compilation available at Cherry Red Records, Paper Charms: Complete BBC Recordings 1974-1976. These films, recorded in 1.5:1 aspect ratio and somehow retaining color and clarity after all these years, are a revelation, a rare chance to see the band in their prime, in studio and stage performances of “Four Holes in the Ground”, “Celebration”, “Mr. Nine ‘Till Five” with the 1974-75 lineup and the track “Chocolate Kings” in 1976 which showcases singer Lanzetti’s contribution. The camera moves smoothly about the band members, providing revealing close-ups of keys, toms, winds and frets, uninterrupted by distracting transitions or other flourishes. This is how the band is best presented, simply performing their most enduring songs with lightening fast precision and aplomb.

Film Strip: (top to bottom) (a) Close-up of winds/violin player Pagani demonstrating rich, vibrant colors (b) Premoli with clear view of his work on keys (c) Mussida shown mid-distance provides a study of his soloing technique (d) Di Cioccio captured less frequently, as is the norm for drummers in early rock video (e) Lanzetti, in 76, part of the best preserved film segment from BBC’s OGWT

As I prepare a manuscript for my own book for next year, I’ve been doing some research on other works that cover progressive, classic and space rock music genres. There is quite a mix out there as anyone interested in music journalism knows. Most of the books I’ve found are about specific bands, such as Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Led Zeppelin and many others. My favorite of these, I Know What I Like by Armando Gallo, long time Genesis biographer was covered in an earlier article. I’ve found a few books that focus on very specific works by those bands, the most excellent of which is Tim Smolko’s Jethro Tull’s Thick and a Brick and A Passion Play: Inside Two Long Songs. Some are by photographers or artists and the best of these is Roger & Martyn Dean’s Magnetic Storm which chronicles Roger’s art and architectural design as well as Martyn’s work creating the fantastic staging Yes deployed during their early years.

Many rock music books make an attempt to cover the entire genre or specifically the progressive rock music genre and these books can be the most difficult to assemble. There is the encyclopedic The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music by Bradley Smith, Progressive Rock Reconsidered by Kevin Holm-Hudson and one that ties prog to the counterculture of the times called Rocking The Classics by Edward Mecan, among others. Often these books end up being for reference only (Billboard Guide) or a bit more academic and stuffy. The best of the books I’ve found that delve into the progressive rock genre and its practitioners is Will Romano’s Mountains Come Out of the Sky.

Spectacular Book Design

Romano’s book, reportedly the result of three years of effort, is an excellent, thoroughly researched document that includes interviews with the artists, essays, and vibrant color photos that include album covers, portraits of the artists and live shots. After a nice forward by Bill Bruford, the book begins with the ever-important question “What is Prog?” This is answered quite well in a short essay that includes Romano’s own position on the subject, peppered with quotes from Greg Lake (ELP), Ian McDonald & John Wetton (King Crimson), Steve Howe (Yes) and others who present a clear and simple definition. The script moves directly into a study of prog’s early history, and first practitioners including The Beatles, The Moody Blues, and Frank Zappa while charting the impact of the Mellotron and Moog keyboards on the sound of the emerging bands in the scene.

The story continues with chapters devoted to the six largest acts in the genre, starting with Pink Floyd, and continuing with King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes, Genesis, and Jethro Tull. Each group’s chapter is well researched and composed, including many direct quotes from Romano’s own interviews with band members, producers, engineers, and peers. The material is factual and engaging, detailing the origins of the bands, descriptions of the music and observations as to where it fits in history from today’s perspective. Follow-up chapters cover some other major bands, primarily from the 1970’s. These include groups that were part of the Canterbury scene, some who delivered a sort of Prog Folk sound, bands hailing from American, Italy and Germany, and an additional set of key acts including Camel, Gentle Giant, Marillion. Some of these chapters are lighter on content, particularly when the bands hail from outside the U.K. But Romano makes a defensible case that the birthplace and origin of progressive rock is Britain, and this focus keeps the book from becoming yet another encyclopedic reference, instead allowing him to tell the complete story of the most important acts without becoming ponderous.

Well-read prog fanatics will find bits of new information here, but more importantly, will see that the content on each band details what one must know in order to understand the act and their legacy. I have already used the book to introduce a band to someone who is not so versed, and they attain a quick understanding of the group, it’s key albums, and iconography. In this way the content will please existing and new fans alike. The book includes a bibliography and a discography that includes almost 300 titles, almost all of which I would concur belong in every collector’s library.

Key Albums

Special mention must be made that this volume is referred to as a “visual history” for good reason. The design by Damien Castaneda and color rendering by the printers is exceptional. There is a generous set of photos, including album cover art, band portraits and live shots. Many of these have not been seen before appearing here, and several are quite rare. These have been edited so that the book is colorful and vibrant. An occasional ribbon at the footing allows for key albums to be nicely referenced, with their cover and year of release, and there is a clever design technique overlaying bits of album cover art and labels as portals into the band’s iconography. It’s almost a coffee table book format, and worthy of its sturdy construction.

In summary this is an excellent entry in progressive rock literature. Romano makes the subject relatable, presenting the best quotes by the musicians and readable descriptions of what makes this music special, and why Britain must be considered the birthplace and primary region from which the form emerged and flourished. The choices as to who to include and who to leave for another tome are well made, so we end up with a fine set of bands and commentary. With that, and the excellent visual layout, it’s an instant favorite for this avid reader and collector.

This year has been one of the greatest ever for live music based on the sheer number of amazing rock concerts I was privileged to witness. Many milestones were hit – Kate Bush performing 22 sold out shows in London 35 years after her first and only tour – Stevie Wonder doing all of Songs in the Key of Life – his masterwork from which had never played more than 3-4 numbers – Fleetwood Mac with Christine McVie back after 16 years absence from touring – Yusuf / Cat Stevens, back in the U.S. 38 years since his last appearance here. To top it off, Sir Paul McCartney, playing the final event at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, the site of the last Beatles concert some 50 years prior. So quite a few firsts, which may become “lasts” – one never knows.

Special mention this year goes to the “progressive rock cruise” called Cruise to the Edge. On that journey my lovely wife joined me and we saw Steve Hackett, Yes, UK, Tangerine Dream, Marillion, and most importantly for me, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM, from Italy) and Three Friends (Gentle Giant’s guitarist Gary Green and drummer Malcolm with full band of hired help). Both of these shows were absolutely fantastic – both celebrating 70’s progressive rock and keeping it alive with surprising precision and power.

Hard to pick a top ten out of these, but here goes:

Kate Bush, Hammersmith Apollo Theater, London

This was one of those “Once-in-a-lifetime” experiences as we witnessed the third of what were 22 highly anticipated Kate Bush concerts she staged after 35 years absence. As the night’s proceedings and the accompanying media frenzy proved, this long absence was a terrible shame. Focusing on The Hounds of Love (1985) and Aerial (2005) irked some fans, but it gave her the chance to perform two acts of the best rock theater ever staged – heights only reached by the likes of Pink Floyd and Genesis. Absolutely brilliant – here’s hoping they filmed it as well!

Three Friends (Gentle Giant), CTTE

Because I had not been able to see Gentle Giant until their last ever show at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, I had not seen them perform many of their complex classic works live. Gary Green (guitar) and Malcolm Mortimore (drums) hired a band of crack musicians calling themselves Three Friends and changed all that on the cruise as they tore through almost all of the third Gentle Giant album, Three Friends (1972) along with something from almost every record made between their debut and Interview. Early in they played “The Moon is Down” – one of four tracks they would include from Acquiring the Taste (1971). They perfectly nailed this dense composition going beyond all expectations. For this fan the whole experience was true nirvana.

Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), CTTE

PFM was Italy’s answer to the British progressive rock invasion of the ‘70’s. Their records were unique, beautiful, and completely original. We had been able to catch them early in this millennia at a prog rock festival, but the shows on the cruise beat that, as the band covered lots of tracks from their first five releases, along with a few more recent, including one from PFM In Classic – Da Mozart A Celebration. A highlight of the show was their performance of “Promenade The Puzzle”, an early classic with brilliant lyrics by former King Crimson lyricist Pete Sinfield. It was a truly rare treat to witness these maestros perform live, and to interview them for Gonzo Weekly as well!

Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Nokia Live Theater, Los Angeles

Cat Stevens has been absent from the stage in the U.S. for 38 years. The first concert I ever attended was his last – the Majikat tour in 1976 with my sister Sue. My 7th grade Social Studies teacher had us reading and interpreting his lyrics in class, focusing on his seminal album Tea for the Tillerman. At that first concert, in my 15th year, I discovered the amazing impact seeing an artist perform live could have on a heart. “The Wind” was the first song on the set list back then, and again when Yusuf / Cat Stevens came to the Nokia Live theater in December. What was surprising and gratifying about this show was that he chose songs from his whole career, including the Foreigner suite, Days of the Old Schoolyard from IsItSo, and others. His voice is aged like fine wine and the show was superb.

Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key of Life Tour, Oakland Arena

Unbelievable, fantastic, heartwarming, tear jerking joyous show in which one of our finest artists played his entire masterwork from 1976, sounding like he’s never aged a day since. Joined by 30 musicians including a 10 piece orchestra, 6 piece horn section, three keyboard players, three drummers, numerous backup singers, bass, and guests, each track was played with it’s perfect accompaniment, whether that meant Stevie alone, as on “If It’s Magic” or all 30 as with the anthemic finale “As”.

King Crimson, Warfield Theater, San Francisco

This progressive rock juggernaut brought their seven-man supersonic distortion machine to the states for a series of highly anticipated concerts. These were epic events for King Crimson fans. For the first time in what seems like forever, leader Robert Fripp agreed to dust off older tracks like “Pictures of a City” from In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), “Sailor’s Tale” and “The Letters” from Islands (1971). Given he had winds genius Mel Collins in the band they were able to reproduce those rare treats with surprising ferocity, particularly “The Letters” which was just stunning. The three-man drum assault was legendary. I’ve never seen Robert appear more happy and excited to be addressing his followers!

Elbow, Fox Theater, Oakland

Elbow played one of the top shows we’ve seen this year. Singer Guy Garvey led the group through a lengthy set that included much of the latest album, along with highlights from their catalog of recordings. What was really impressive is how this singer emotes and connects with the audience. At times the languid pace threatens to overstay it’s welcome, but this band can meander between slow and soulful to more medium paced bits, building the dynamics of a song until the audience can be swept up in the emotion and joy of their beautiful melodies, their meaningful lyrics, and Guy’s silky smooth vocal delivery. In this way I would compare them to The National – one of the other great live acts seen last spring.

The National, Greek Theater, Oakland

The band were in fine form this year, supporting 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me, driving their slow burning moody compositions to lovely crescendos – punctuating dark passages with horns and carefully placed guitars and keys to enliven the procession. Matt is a baritone and as such inhabits the sound spectrum at the low end, spilling out his unique lyrics, huddling over his mic, or stalking the stage to accentuate the sound of their work. This time out, the band backed the volume down during key passages, allowing Matt to be heard clearly and gain additional dynamics in the mix – a clever way to help connect him and the band to the audience. The show was a wonderful demonstration of their wares – the best yet for this viewer.

The Eels, Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco

This American alt-rock band played the best and most impactful show I’ve seen them deliver here in the city. Since so much of singer-songwriter E’s music does tend toward dark and painful subjects (he calls it “soft bummer pop”), his work in large quantities can threaten to depress. However on this night, the crack band of musicians aided the man, teetering perfectly between the melancholy and happy, quirky sides of his catalog, peppering the sadder tracks with the upbeat. Notably, E sang several covers, including lovely renditions of “When You Wish Upon A Star,” (okay small tears were shed) “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis and “Turn on Your Radio” by the similarly underrated and wonderful Nilsson. Friends of soft-bummer pop unite!

Fleetwood Mac, Oakland Arena, Oakland

Christine McVie

The Mac is back! They rolled into the town for the “On With The Show” tour featuring the return of Christine McVie – singer, songwriter and keyboard player who left the band to retire some 16 years ago. The audience greeted her with rapturous applause. It was wonderful to hear the band whole again, back to their 1975 lineup, which endured for so many years producing mega hits on the albums “Fleetwood Mac” (1975) through Tango in the Night (1987).

Honorable mention goes out to other amazing artists we caught this year including Paul McCartney, Yes, UK, Steve Hackett (on his Genesis revisited tour), Kraftwerk, Queen (with “glambert”), Tom Petty, Neil Finn, Midlake, Daniel Lanois, America, Erasure, Elton John, Tears for Fears, Adrian Belew, Paula Frazer, The Musical Box and others. Thank you to Artina for being so open minded and musically inclined, and for taking so many of the best photos we shot during the year. I will have to renew that resolution to catch more new artists this year – we are starting in January with Ty Segall. Happy New Year, everyone….

The progressive rock band Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) is considered rightly to be the premier band of it’s kind from Italy. They’ve released more than 15 studio albums and almost as many live recordings since 1972, and maintain their place as one of the finest and most prolific artists in the genre.

Last year they recorded a double album which some fans of the prog rock form many have missed – the wonderful PFM In Classic – Da Mozart A Celebration. The main CD is a collection of seven works by Mozart re-imagined with symphony and rock instrumentation combined. Patrick Djivas (bass) explained their approach to linking the two forms in a recent interview – “We wanted to do something totally different [with this recording] – we thought, what if Mozart had guitar, bass, and drums – what would he have added to his compositions?”

The result is a compelling mix of rock and classical motifs played side by side – at times alternating and at others intertwined – ending up being bolder and more rewarding than the typical rock+symphony excursion. Any fan of Mozart’s work, or the prog rock form will find much to enjoy in this release. Highlights include the grand overture to “Il Flauto Magico,” with Patrick’s opening bass lines dancing about the main theme – the expressive, precise guitar solo played by Franco Mussida that drives “Danza Slava No 1” – or their playful take on the theme to Romeo and Juliet which ends in a crescendo of drums from Franz Di Cioccio.

The second CD contains some of PFM’s own compositions performed in the same manner – some with extended symphonic interpretations within the original work. Of these, “La Luna Nuova” and “Impressioni Di Settembre” are the most interesting in this format, whereas a couple of the early tracks were so representative of symphonic rock as to be just as good in their original format. For a stunning finish the band rip through versions of “Celebration” along with a bit of Mendelssohn for good measure, followed by a live recording of Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.” A perfect way to end this set, as both tracks are played assertively, precisely, and joyfully – a loveable trait of this seminal band.
Highly recommended.

Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) appeared live on the Cruise to the Edge concert voyage April 7-12. The shows reinforced why they have been one of the premier international progressive rock bands over the years, and their playing is undiminished by time. PFM’s music, while sometimes touching on dark themes, is overwhelmingly positive and joyful, particularly when the music incorporates snippets of traditional Italian folk within the progressive, jazz and pop music formats. Many fans consider their best work in live performance, of which there are many official recordings available. Unlike some contemporaries, they still play complete works in their original form to make up their set list – lots of early work, such as “La Carrozza di Hans” from their first Italian release Storia Di Un Minuto (1972), to “Romeo E Giulietta” off the beautiful new Pfm in Classic-Da Mozart a Celebration (2013). There is a high degree of precision in their live performances, but also room left for jamming and improvisation. These days drummer/vocalist Franz Di Cioccio has a backup percussionist leaving him several chances during the show to come out front with lead vocals and enthusiastically rally the crowd. It’s a rewarding experience to capture PFM playing live.

I caught up with the three primary members of the band, Franz Di Cioccio (drums, vocals), Franco Mussida (guitars, vocals), and Patrick Djivas (bass) for the following interview during the cruise:

D: Can you tell us a bit about how your popularity was built outside of Italy?

PFM is the best-known and most famous band of this kind in Italy. At the start, we came to the USA and UK and stayed there for 6, 8, 9 months at a time – you have to build up the following in country. We thought with a worldwide mentality – we did not think only in the Italian way. But we are Italian, we know the mother language –and there are a lot of things that anybody who goes into art must consider. We did the best with our potential – for example leaving home touring the USA for a long time in a lot of places – big towns but also places like Grand Rapid, Fort Wayne – you have to be out there and the people love it and know you are really an international musician.

Our big opportunity was when Pete Sinfield from King Crimson liked our music. He found in PFM– a new renaissance of a theatrical mentality and creativity. He wrote incredible lyrics for our music because our lyrics are not as good in Italian – the image you get from music and lyrics together in English is fantastic. “River of Life” for instance – the combination is fantastic. In Italian it’s not quite the same – it’s got to be the right music combined with the right lyrics.

Franco Mussida

D: Having said that, if I could pick one of your Italian language songs on albums Per Un Amico or L’isola di niente and translate a lyric to English – what would be a favorite?

PFM: In English words are very short and it’s fantastic for rock because it will get you moving. In Italian everything is more about drawing out the syllables (sings a bit of “Dove Quando”) and it’s more melodramatic. We didn’t translate that one – even Pete said you don’t need to translate this lyric because it’s perfect in Italian. The same is for “Il Banchetto.” English is more clipped and there is better possibility to carry the idea. When you want to communicate something from the heart use the vocal melody – you can use the round vowels to carry emotion. Another example is from our first album – our song “Generale” which has no Italian lyrics – they would be difficult in Italian – Pete made it easy – “shiny shoes he runs to catch the train…rockets launched if he is late again…” (sings and taps this out to the beat of “Mr. Nine Till Five”) and it makes the melody different – we made a melody to support the Pete Sinfield words that we didn’t have in the Italian version. By contrast, when opera is in Italian or German – you can’t do it in English.

D: Cook – the first live recording released by PFM, was recently re-released with the entire concert included and it’s a stunning document that displays the bands full range – was there a discussion at the time of putting out a 3 album set?

PFM: No we did not try to get it out – did not have the time. We were not even supposed to do a live album at that moment – we had access to a recording studio which was paid for but unused. We decided to use it and we were playing in New York – so we used the time to make the record and taped a few more shows. We decided to do one album – to make something very accessible to the people – to represent PFM with one album – and cost was a factor – double albums are expensive – three even more. Now you can do these box sets and legacy collections more easily. So we did the best in one, and made it more successful. I even decided to cut my drum solo!

Franz Di Cioccio

D: Franz, back in those times, did you have drumming support – it’s entertaining when you come out front during shows today.

PFM: Not at that time – I stayed back on the drums with a mic. When we used to play as a 5 piece, everybody sang something because there was not really a singer with that one role in PFM – our voices mixed together. I did sing “Dove Quando” and “Just Look Away” up front because the drums only came in at the end.

D: Chocolate Kings was the first of several albums with Bernardo Lanzetti out front on vocals (from 1975–1977). It’s an album that gets talked about more than Jet Lag – yet I find Jet Lag is just brilliant – did it not do as well?

PFM: The music did get more difficult and this is the way PFM has always been – we play what we feel like playing in the moment. At that particular time we were living a lot in the states and had a lot of contact with jazz musicians and we had more jazz influence – some of us more than others and it went in that direction. We did not really think about “why or why not” – we did it because we liked that music at the time. Maybe people did not expect anything like that from PFM. It was more improvisational – its a different way – we used to improvise a lot. PFM always changes album by album – we didn’t want to stay the same for each one – for instance our latest, Pfm in Classic-Da Mozart a Celebration, is different from all the others. It’s not planned – not decisions we make but it just comes – its why we keep playing with the same interest because we always do different things. If you play the same thing all your life – whoever you are and how good you are – you get bored and you don’t get better. You are just doing the same thing all the time. For us its nice to have the influence of all kinds of music – for instance the 2006 record Stati di immaginazione – this is the record where you really understand the way PFM is – where we put a little bit from all the experiences from all the years – so every musician comes to the project with all of their background, and this is what’s important to us.
(ed: Patrick mentions Stati from 2006 – for those not keeping up with PFM’s more recent releases, this one is highly recommended)

Patrick Djivas

This is why we can do the Mozart work. It was very difficult to do the Mozart album – it’s easy to score or play with an orchestra doing what everybody else does – which is either playing the classical themes with your instruments, or else using the orchestra to back your music – we did not want to do that – everybody has done it. We wanted to do something totally different – we thought, what if Mozart had guitar, bass, and drum – what would he have added to his compositions – so we had to invent and make music to fit this inside of his music. And let the people get comfortable without shock – to have a different experience about a another period of music but still be contemporary – have it be contemporary now.

D: PFM has released a lot of CDs of live shows, so there is audio covering your entire career. There is a wonderful DVD of PFM live in Japan in 2003. Have you thought about releasing a video history of the band?

We played straight live, no lip-syncing, no overdubs – the music spoke for us. Most of our live performances sound better as there is more energy and adrenaline. We did Old Grey Whistle Test, Midnight Special, Don Kirshner in concert, the reason we got on the charts was because we played live. But we have no video tapes of that – they ask a lot of money for those. The DVD from Tokyo in 2003 took advantage of better technology. There is also video of the show in Siena Italy – released on audio as Piazza Del Campo Live in Siena (2008) – but it has not been released. Lucia Fabri was back on violin for that event and we played the solo together at the end of the show just as in 1974.
(ed: I’ve since located the video Franz mentions above – it’s all online now, and there is enough to give one an idea of what the band was like in the beginning, and middle of the ’70’s. The 2003 Live in Tokyo is the best footage available commercially at the time of this writing, and is an amazing document from the band)

D: In live performance it almost seems like you increased the tempo of many tracks and it could be at times simultaneously loose and tight like a train that could go off the tracks – was there almost a competitive spirit to play faster at the time?

PFM: No – the reason it sounds that way is because we were playing more than 300 concerts a year and we would play very fast, almost too fast – not competing, just natural – tight and fast. For example last night when we played “Four Holes in the Ground” the count in was [taps out a slower tempo] but in those days it was more like [plays out a rapid fire tempo].
(ed: listen to this track on Cook and you will see what Franz means!)

D: Will you tour more in support of Pfm in Classic-Da Mozart a Celebration?

PFM: We have done some shows – our manager is figuring out where else we can play. The challenge is you have to go to a place and hire the orchestra instead of trying to take them with you. Everyone who plays with an orchestra has to do this. But we could take PFM plus say 5 additional musicians – a chamber orchestra but not a full one. For instance, last night we played “Romeo E Giulietta” and it came out well.
(ed: the band’s rendition of “Romeo E Giulietta” was played wonderfully even without the full orchestra)

Here’s hoping for more chances to catch the amazing PFM live soon – with or without orchestra!

Still reeling a bit from 5 days out to sea witnessing a terrifying battle between two sea monsters… wait, no, that’s a different story – ahem – 5 days at sea bearing witness to at least a dozen progressive rock concerts on the wonderful Cruise to the Edge voyage. Met and interviewed band members – many who are musical heroes to me, made new friends, and took in some sun & sand besides. On the plane now heading back to San Francisco, thinking about the highlights:

Three Friends (now two – featuring former members of Gentle Giant – Gary Green (guitar), and Malcolm Mortimer (drums)): The talented band they assembled played three full sets, varying the selections each time, including “Alucard” from their debut, four from Acquiring the Taste including the searing “The House, The Street, The Room”, and four from Three Friends including “Prologue” (the opener for each show), “Schooldays” (yes, really, live!), “Mister Class and Quality” and “Three Friends”. Among other mid period tracks, they did several from their masterworks, Octopus, In A Glass House, Power and the Glory, and Free Hand. I’ll have a lead story on these shows and an interview with guitarist Gary Green in an upcoming post.

Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM): This will be the subject of a second lead story which will include an interview with the three primary band members and I’ll have a review of their latest Pfm in Classic-Da Mozart a Celebration. PFM has seldom made it to the states after the 1970’s other than the east coast Nearfest dates some years ago, and time has not diminished their musical prowess in concert. The band tore through tight renditions of “La Luna Nuova” (Four Holes in the Ground), “Mr. Nine ‘Till Five” (including the “alta loma” coda), “Romeo E Giulietta” (from the beautiful new Mozart orchestrated disc) and the ever popular “Celebration.” At their main stage show they included the songs “Promenade the Puzzle” from their first English language release Photos of Ghosts (1973) and “La Carrozza di Hans” from their first Italian release Storia Di Un Minuto (1972). PFM earned many new converts among the cruisers with these fine shows.

Marillion: This show was a real surprise for me Thursday night on the cruise. I’ve not had the chance to experience this band but we kept meeting so many very (very) dedicated fans on this cruise, and being able to talk to them, along with the very personable band members themselves over the days leading up to these headlining shows I think prepared us to finally “get it.” And we really did get into this band – Steve Hogarth is one amazing singer and performer who communicates their work in an inspiring and compelling way. Steve Rothery (guitar) had a bit of the bad back, but played beautifully, and temp drummer Leon Parr had to fill in for an ailing Ian Mosley, but the band was in fine form, and played an excellent set that opened with “The Invisible Man” – most impactful to these new ears were “Ocean Cloud,” “This Strange Engine” and “Neverland.”. One experienced fan on the way out said if he could have designed the perfect set list, that would have been it.

Steve Hackett – Genesis Revisited: Steve and his tight band played two shows on the main stage, each including Supper’s Ready (he and Nat joined on the last show by Simon Collins, son of Phil for the “Apocalypse” vocals), Firth of Fifth (with John Wetton on vocals – also last show) “The Knife” and “The Musical Box.” For the first show they wrapped these together with “Dance on a Volcano” and “Los Endos.” The second show was more extended with “Squonk” and the closer “All Along the Watchtower” joined by Chris Squire and again with John. Also added for the second show was “Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers…In That Quiet Earth” followed by “Afterglow” from Wind and Wurthering and “Broadway Melody of 1974” from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. These were rewarding shows, though the shorter format let a bit of the steam out of the proceedings given the full sets on these tour dates have been more than twice as long. Still, amazing to see this master guitarist paying respects to his early work with Genesis.

Yes – After all, the cruise is named for these headliners. The shows were very much like the current tour – the band played all of Close to the Edge, and The Yes Album, at a reduced tempo, along with “America” and “Roundabout.” The slower pace for their original work allows one to see Steve Howe (guitar) and Chris Squire (bass) hit all their notes and I think works well for any frustrated musician or technically curious fan. Unfortunately the downside is it robs a bit of the immediacy from the work. One nice surprise, most notable to this listener, was just how strong a vocalist Jon Davidson has become – he nailed several very sustained perfect notes at just the right times to drive a bit more energy into the mix.

UK – John Wetton and Eddie Jobson were joined on stage by guitar and drums to make a four piece this time out. Both shows presented their debut album in it’s entirety, plus a bit of their second, Danger Money. Each show included a nice surprise – the band doing a faithful rendition of “Starless” from King Crimson’s Red (1974). Was great to see them again and this time with deft guitarist Alex Machacek who filled in Alan Holdsworth’s parts, often missed from the first tracks when not present. No photos were allowed for these shows.

Along with these headliners we were able to catch great sets by Patrick Moraz, Sound of Contact, Tangerine Dream, Renaissance, and Soft Machine. We missed Moon Safari and Stick Men who were also favorites on the ship, and a few other bands, but overall were able to take in as much music as I suppose was possible over the five days. Even caught a bit of the midnight movie – Paul Williams in Phantom of the Paradise on the pool deck – major cheese (!) – how could that have been any better? What an awesome experience the cruise was – think about saving up for next year. In the meantime, I think now that we are back on shore, to regain my Eustachian balance we will have to listen to something a bit less prog…. maybe the Beach Boys!

Very excited to be going on the Cruise to the Edge trip to Honduras and Cozumel this coming April 7, 2014. To date I’ve been a bit wary of going on a cruse as I’m not quite seaworthy and typically regret any time spent without feet on terra firma! However, as this particular cruise will have as entertainment over a dozen famous progressive rock bands of the 1970’s and beyond I’m intrigued.

Besides Yes who host the event, we have Genesis Revisited (Steve Hackett), UK (John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, plus), PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi from Italy), Three Friends (former members of Gentle Giant Gary Green and Malcolm Mortimer), Marillion, and Tangerine Dream. Plus having ace keys player Patrick Moraz, stick man Tony Levin, and the great Simon Phillips on skins, among so many others made it too hard to say “no” to this cruise event.

As we’ve been able to catch Yes, UK and Steve Hackett recently, the biggest draw for me is being able to meet and see Gary Green play live once again after all these years. Three Friends has not made it to the west coast in the states to perform the music of Gentle Giant, so this is a rare treat. Also key is the inclusion of PFM from Italy. Its rare to catch them outside their home country and this is arguably one of the best ever progressive rock bands of the past, and present. Check out their latest disc for proof – the wonderful PFM in Classic da Mozart – a Celebration to witness how they have sustained their craft.